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How we plan, build and manage infrastructure in the UK is likely to change dramatically over the next few years, according to the Institute of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) annual Horizon Scan report.
Infrastructure in 2023 brings together the predictions of civil engineers working in a variety of disciplines, from energy to flooding and transportation to tunneling.
The cost of living crisis and global economic pressures loom large in the report, which predicts there will be less money for infrastructure projects and more emphasis on increasing productivity and using technology and data to increase efficiency.
It also predicts that “enormous steps” will be needed over the next five years if the UK is to meet its carbon-zero commitments, with measuring the impact of infrastructure over its lifetime playing a key role.
Almost every part of the report calls for greater collaboration – both between civil engineers and those from other disciplines such as urban planners, architects, environmental experts and those working in the technology sector.
ICE Vice President David Porter said: “Given our reliance on infrastructure and the fact that it accounts for half of all energy-related carbon emissions, civil engineers have a key role to play in helping society meet the challenge of climate change.
“More extreme weather will require a greater focus on adaptation and resilience, and civil engineers can help with that.” Their work can also help mitigate some of the worst impacts of the cost of living crisis.
Some of the key predictions in the report include:
- Decarbonization and energy: “Giant steps” in decarbonisation infrastructure will be necessary as 2030 deadlines approach. The focus will be on energy security and low-carbon sources as megaprojects such as Sizewell C get underway, and as more renewables and cross-border interconnection schemes become viable.
- Resilient infrastructure: Growing awareness of the vulnerability of our infrastructure as we experience new weather extremes such as a summer heatwave and possible flooding this winter. The government’s adaptation plan will be widely expected.
- Sustainable drainage: A strong focus on water drainage systems (SuDS) in urban development – particularly if Schedule 3 of the Floods and Water Management Act is implemented, removing the automatic right of developers to connect to public sewers.
- Transportation: Policies that encourage electric and self-driving vehicles on our roads and an increasing emphasis on cycling and walking in our cities. The creation of Great British Rail could speed up and make track work cheaper.
Many of these changes will require civil engineers to use new technology and acquire new knowledge and skills that may not have been part of their formal training – especially for those in senior positions.
ICE’s Low Carbon Energy Community Advisory Board (CAB) – one of the expert groups that wrote the report – stresses that the share of the UK’s energy supply from renewable sources will double by 2028. Engineers will need to know about hydrogen, floating offshore wind, heat pumps and renewable energy sources at the community level, both to implement projects and to help policy makers make informed decisions.
Data and Digital CAB say digital twins, robotics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality are already here and can deliver significant benefits. It calls for a national strategy for the digitization of the built environment and for investors and clients to step up the exchange of data between projects.
The decarbonisation CAB says “carbon for life must become part of the thinking of civil engineers”. It calls on all public sector projects to set short-term carbon quotas or budgets to set the pace of change, and welcomes the Built Environment Carbon Database which aims to store carbon emissions data from all types of construction projects.
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